How to Make the Perfect Prawn Cocktail Appetizer

Whether you are hosting a New Year’s bash or festive dinner, Shrimp Cocktail is a retro appetizer that will never go out of style. It includes shrimp that has been mixed with a creamy cocktail sauce before being served with lettuce in martini glasses.

To make this prawn cocktail recipe, you make a sauce of mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, and worcestershire sauce. Then, you stir cooked shrimp into the sauce until coated. Next, the shrimp mixture gets divided between fancy glasses that have been lined with lettuce before being served. While it is ideal to assemble it when you are ready to serve it, you can also place it in the fridge to chill until your guests arrive.

What is Prawn Cocktail?

It is difficult to pinpoint the origins of prawn cocktail, otherwise known as shrimp cocktail, but it has a history of popularity in both the United States and the United Kingdom. It comprises cooked shrimp and a tangy sauce, but the way it is served can vary. Sometimes, the shrimp will be draped over a glass with a tangy cocktail sauce that you can dip the shrimp into. Meanwhile, other versions involve mixing the shrimp in a creamy sauce and serving it as a salad.

Shrimp cocktail isn’t as popular as it used to be during the 1950s and 1060s, but this particular recipe proves that it is a worthy dish to have ready for a dinner party. It is easy to prepare and completely delicious with succulent shrimp and a creamy, tangy sauce.

Pro Tips

• For the easiest preparation, buy frozen, pre-cooked shrimp that you can thaw rather than cooking them yourself.
• Make sure you taste the sauce to see if it needs more of any ingredient to meet your tastes.
• If you are unsure of whether you have enough shrimp for the amount of sauce this recipe calls for, simply add sauce to the shrimp by the spoonful until you feel the shrimp is well coated. Any extra sauce can be placed in the fridge and used in the future.
• If you like some heat in your cocktail sauce, feel free to add tabasco or horseradish to the sauce.
• For a pretty garnish, place lemon or orange wedges and sprigs of dill in the glasses that you serve the shrimp cocktail in.
• If you don’t love the taste of shrimp, this recipe would also work well with cooked oysters or scallops.

What to Serve with Prawn Cocktail?

Prawn cocktail is perfect on its own, served with your favorite cocktails or wine. However, if you would like to round out your appetizers, you could serve it with fresh dishes like caprese skewers, avocado salsa and tortilla chips, stuffed mushrooms, fried calamari, and more.

Should I Use Pre-cooked Shrimp in Prawn Cocktail?

Pre-cooked shrimp makes preparing this dish extra easy, especially since they are widely available in the grocery store. Once they are thawed, just make sure you dry them off with paper towels so that you don’t make the dish too wet. You could also poach or steam shrimp at home if you prefer to use shrimp that you have cooked yourself. If the shrimp isn’t deveined already, make sure you remove the veins before cooking them. You will know the shrimp are cooked through when they are bright pink in color and opaque.

Can I Modify the Cocktail Sauce?

Yes, you definitely can! This sauce is a classic cocktail sauce of mayonnaise, ketchup, Worcestershire, and mustard, but often, people like horseradish, lemon, cayenne, or tabasco in their sauce as well. If you would like a little more tang in the sauce, add some fresh lemon juice. Alternatively, if you prefer a little heat, you can stir in some horseradish, cayenne, or tabasco.

Can I Use Homemade Mayonnaise in Shrimp Cocktail?

Yes, you definitely could! If you would like to make your shrimp cocktail extra special, you can make mayonnaise from scratch, which will allow you to use fresher ingredients. However, store-bought mayonnaise will work just fine to keep this appetizer easy to prepare.

Is This Cocktail Alcoholic?

No, shrimp cocktail is not alcoholic. While some variations of the sauce may include a splash of alcohol like vodka or brandy for added flavor, this is not standard, and our recipe doesn't contain any alcohol!

How to Store Prawn Cocktail

Prawn cocktail can be tightly covered and placed in the fridge for up to 2 days. However, it is best the day it is made.

How to Make Prawn Cocktail

Step 1

Step 1

Step 1: For the cocktail sauce, in a bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the ketchup, mustard, and worcestershire sauce until combined. Stir in the shrimps.

Step 1: For the cocktail sauce, in a bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the ketchup, mustard, and worcestershire sauce until combined. Stir in the shrimps.

Step 2

Step 2

Step 2: Tear the lettuce and divide it between five small glasses. Spoon the shrimp mixture on top of the lettuce.

Step 2: Tear the lettuce and divide it between five small glasses. Spoon the shrimp mixture on top of the lettuce.

Step 3

Step 3

Step 3: Garnish the prawn cocktail with orange slices and prawns, and serve immediately.

Step 3: Garnish the prawn cocktail with orange slices and prawns, and serve immediately.